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Indigenous Water Initiatives: Achievements and Capacity Gaps

Date & Time:
Tuesday, March 28, 2017 - 12:00 - 13:30

On March 28th, the WSP is co-hosting the fourth webinar in its 2016/2017 Creating a Blue Dialogue webinar series in partnership with the Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources and the First Nations Fisheries Council. Register now!

A priority winning condition for watershed governance in British Columbia is co-governance, which involves meaningful partnerships and shared decision-making between Indigenous and non-Indigenous decision-makers and communities. Before co-governance arrangements can be initiated, First Nations must have the internal means to develop and articulate their communities’ water priorities and values. In many regions in B.C., First Nations are leading innovative watershed governance approaches. Despite this leadership, there are also capacity gaps that can constrain progress.

In this webinar, Kate Cave (Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources) and Genevieve Layton-Cartier (First Nations Fisheries Council) will share results from a 2016 systematic research review of Indigenous-led freshwater planning initiatives and co-governance arrangements in B.C. This research identified capacity gaps and will contribute to shaping the future of freshwater planning and a new watershed governance regime in the province. The webinar will also feature perspectives from Shannon Squire (P'egp'ig'lha Council/T'it'q'et First Nation) and Ashley Doyle (Kwantlen First Nation), who will share their journeys to implement or develop water initiatives in their respective nations.

“Belo Monte: After the Flood”—Canada Water Week Film Screening & Panel Discussion

Join us this Canada Water Week for a film screening and panel discussion exploring the effects of large-scale energy projects on communities in Brazil and Canada.

Directed by award-winning environmental documentarian Todd Southgate and produced in collaboration with Amazon Watch, International Rivers, and Cultures of Resistance, Belo Monte: After the Flood brings us to the shores of the Xingu River in the heart of the Amazon. There, we hear the stories of indigenous community members and their decades-long fight against the multi-billion-dollar Belo Monte hydroelectric project. Amidst government corruption, environmental degradation, and neglected mitigation measures, this film shows how community members have taken matters into their own hands to fight for the protection of their waterways.

Following the film, we’ll be joined by leading aboriginal law expert Merrell-Ann Phare (Executive Director, Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources & Member, FLOW), Michael Miltenberger (former MLA and Northwest Territories Minister of the Environment & Member, FLOW), and Michele-Lee Moore (Associate Professor, Department of Geography, University of Victoria & Founder, Water, Innovation, and Global Governance Lab). They will lead a discussion on how the struggles of Brazil’s indigenous peoples parallel those of First Nations here in Canada, and the opportunities present in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

This event is being co-hosted by the POLIS Water Sustainability Project and the Water, Innovation, and Global Governance (WIGG) Lab, based at the University of Victoria’s Centre for Global Studies.

RSVPs are not required, but are appreciated. Contact Dana Holtby at ra@polisproject.org or 250-721-7211.

Webinar—Making Urban Water Sustainability a Reality

Date & Time:
Friday, February 17, 2017 - 12:00 - 13:30

On February 17th, the POLIS Water Sustainability Project is hosting the third webinar in its 2016/2017 Creating a Blue Dialogue webinar series.Register now!

Canada's water and wastewater infrastructure requires urgent attention. The 2016 Canadian Infrastructure Report Card revealed that 29 per cent of Canada’s drinking water infrastructure and 35 per cent of its wastewater infrastructure is in fair to very poor condition. Canada is facing an "infrastructure moment," which includes an unparalleled opportunity to set the course for the next generation of sustainable urban water infrastructure in this country. The Government of Canada is committed to investing over $180 billion in infrastructure over the coming decade.

In this webinar, Tony Maas will discuss the importance of urban water sustainability. He will present a suite of recommendations to align water infrastructure investments and regulatory regimes around a vision of sustainability, resilience, and innovation. Emanuel Machado will then share lessons learned from the Town of Gibsons’ pioneering "eco-asset" management strategy, which was developed to promote ecological sustainability and smart infrastructure management and maintenance.

**If you are in Victoria, B.C., we will be hosting a live viewing of the February 17th webinar at the Centre for Global Studies on the University of Victoria campus. Contact Rosie Simms at water@polisproject.org for more details.**

Strengthening Monitoring and Reporting for BC's Waters

Date & Time:
Monday, December 5, 2016 - 12:00 - 13:30

On December 5th, the WSP is hosting the second webinar in its 2016/2017 Creating a Blue Dialogue webinar series. Register now!

Interest is growing across sectors to identify opportunities to improve watershed monitoring and state-of-the-watershed reporting. The British Columbia Living Water Smart Policy recognizes that "we can't manage what we can't measure" and makes a commitment to improving monitoring, and regular “state of” reporting. There is a real opportunity to collectively explore how to create a robust foundation of shared information for watershed governance in B.C.

In this webinar, Elizabeth Hendriks (VP Freshwater, WWF-Canada) will provide an overview of information gaps, and some of the solutions and tools available to improve watershed monitoring. Katrina Connors (Director, Skeena Programs, Pacific Salmon Foundation) will share her experience in the Skeena to develop collaborative partnerships and the Salmon Explorer tool. Ben Kerr (CEO, Foundry Spatial and Senior Water Scientist) will offer a brief look at the data visualization tools his team has developed, such as the B.C. Water Tool. In addition to these resource guests, a number of other experts will offer resources, comments, questions, and perspectives through the webinar’s virtual chat box.

**If you are in Victoria, B.C., we will be hosting a live viewing of the December 5th webinar at the Centre for Global Studies on the University of Victoria campus. Contact Rosie Simms at water@polisproject.org for more details.**

Watershed planning processes are essential to watershed governance, as they bring together key rights holders and interests to articulate a common vision, including priorities, problems, and management actions. Many local leaders across B.C. are pursuing watershed planning processes, and anticipate that B.C.’s Water Sustainability Act—which enables “water sustainability plans (WSPs)”—could give existing or future plans legal ‘teeth’, increasing their legitimacy and impact. Although WSPs are new legal tools under the Act, many regions have significant experience in various forms of water and watershed planning.

In this webinar, Lee Failing (Principal, Compass Resource Management) will share insights on the important elements of a sound planning process—based on her experience in leading a range of water use planning processes in B.C. and elsewhere in North America over the last 20 years. Kate Cave (Project Manager and Research Associate, Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources (CIER) will discuss her experience in Indigenous-led watershed planning and share highlights from the CIER Guidebook series.

This webinar is the first instalment in the POLIS Water Sustainability Project’s 2016/2017 Creating a Blue Dialogue webinar series.It is intended as a lead-in to the upcoming Watersheds 2016 forum, which seeks to build capacity in B.C.'s water community for effective watershed governance.

**If you are in Victoria, B.C., we will be hosting a live viewing of the September 15th webinar at the Centre for Global Studies on the University of Victoria campus. Contact Rosie Simms at water@polisproject.org to RSVP to the live viewing.**